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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Teottry
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Surprisingly, besides Tang Mei-niang, there were two other people Mancheon knew.
Tao Jun and Quan Cong.
“Young Lady Huangbo! Quan Cong! Let’s work together! He’s not someone we can easily defeat alone!”
Having witnessed Ding Chou and Tang Mei-niang’s defeat, Tao Jun of the Qingcheng Sect quickly sized up the situation and shouted.
“……”
Quan Cong didn’t respond, so Tao Jun and Quan Feng Huangbo Xian charged at Mancheon together.
It was a cold, decisive judgment, contrary to his usual polite demeanor.
He didn’t think it was cowardly. Mancheon wasn’t an official participant, so there was no need to fight him one-on-one.
Tao Jun was smart.
Huangbo’s fist techniques and Qingcheng’s dual sword techniques were unleashed simultaneously from both sides, approaching menacingly.
But… they were too hasty.
He extended his staff, lightly deflecting Tao Jun’s sword to the side.
“……!!”
The deflected blade naturally blocked Huangbo’s fist path.
The Huangbo family’s fist techniques were known for their speed, but he couldn’t just break through an ally’s weapon.
It would have been better if they had fought separately.
A hastily formed, uncoordinated attack was worse than no attack at all.
Dog Beating Staff Technique – Strike Two Dogs with One Blow.
He struck down two dogs with a single swing of his staff.
He knocked out the two entangled opponents, who had left themselves wide open, and calmly walked away.
“You’re just getting in each other’s way.”
Qingcheng Sect’s aspiring martial artist, Tao Jun, and Huangbo Family’s aspiring martial artist, Quan Feng Huangbo Xian, defeated.
Three remained.
“If you didn’t join in because I saved your life, there’s no need for that.”
He spoke to Quan Cong, who had been standing still, observing the fight.
“The sword of the Zhongnan Sect is the best in the world.”
Quan Cong replied, his face resolute.
“The best in the world doesn’t gang up on a challenger.”
He raised his sword with both hands and faced the approaching formidable enemy.
“Come at me, Senior Brother Sima.”
He still called him Senior Brother in a situation like this? He had to smile.
He was a stubborn brat, in a good way and a bad way.
He also raised his staff with both hands, ready to strike at any moment.
Both were in a high stance, their torsos exposed.
The match would be over in an instant.
The staff and the sword struck simultaneously.
And… Mancheon won.
Dog Beating Staff Technique – Strike the Dog’s Back at an Angle.
Mancheon’s staff instantly changed its trajectory, striking Quan Cong’s hand and deflecting the sword.
“Gah-!!”
“Fast and strong, I admit. But too predictable.”
Fighting was about deception.
There was no need to play to the opponent’s strengths.
“I’m not defeated yet-!?”
Quan Cong tried to raise his sword again, but Mancheon knocked him out with a chop to the neck and walked towards the next opponent.
Zhongnan Sect’s aspiring martial artist, Quan Cong, defeated.
“Heh- hahaha!”
Chen Dao of the Hainan Sect burst into laughter.
“What a guy! A worthy opponent!”
He charged at Mancheon, drawing an exotic katana, different from the swords of the Central Plains, from his waist. However…
“Draw-! Swooo… huh?!”
-Clang!
Dog Beating Staff Technique – Press the Dog’s Head Down.
The staff pressed down on the hilt of the sword, preventing it from being drawn.
“W-wait-?!”
Chen Dao tried to retreat, but it was too late.
“?!?!?!?”
A punch from an unexpected angle sent him tumbling to the ground, unconscious.
A drawn sword was terrifying. An undrawn sword was not.
No matter how fast you moved, you still had to draw the sword.
If you could predict your opponent’s movements and had a way to block them,
then it was no longer a matter of speed.
“Who would wait for you to draw your sword?”
Hainan Sect’s aspiring martial artist, Chen Dao, defeated.
The once-boisterous crowd fell silent.
Or rather, they were speechless.
Shaolin, Sichuan Tang, Qingcheng, Huangbo, Zhongnan, Hainan.
The aspiring martial artists of the great sects and families, known throughout the world, had all been defeated by a cripple with a staff.
Six had fallen, and now, only two remained on the tournament stage.
The unknown challenger and the one who sought the title of True Dragon.
No one dared to interfere, watching in silence,
waiting for Mancheon, the one who had created this spectacle, to speak.
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The two men faced each other, and Mudan was the first to speak.
“You have a flair for the dramatic.”
He had expected it, but he hadn’t thought Mancheon would actually show up. He frowned.
“Why go to such lengths?”
‘Why go to such lengths…?’
He could say many things in response to that question, but he wouldn’t.
He glanced at the curious crowd.
He didn’t want to drag Xiaoshao into this and make her the subject of gossip.
And he was a martial artist, and so was Mudan.
Now that things had come to this, words were unnecessary.
He assumed a stance, preparing to unleash his technique.
“Hey, I heard you’re a good fighter.”
His amber eyes, reminiscent of a wolf, sparkled, and he bared his teeth.
“Let’s fight.”
That was reasonable enough.
“W-what…?”
The crowd, which had been holding its breath, stirred at the absurd, incomprehensible words. But on the other hand…
“Heh… heheh…”
Some of the martial artists in the audience struggled to stifle their laughter.
They were all masters of the righteous martial world, who had surpassed the peak realm, and some even laughed out loud.
After all…
‘I want to fight a strong opponent.’
What better reason was there for a duel?
He couldn’t help but laugh, despite his dignity.
“Ha! Bold, so bold. That crazy bastard… he thinks he’s Lu Bu.”
Of course, even the Martial Alliance leader was no exception.
In the second-floor viewing pavilion, where the high-ranking officials of the Martial Alliance were seated,
a faint smile played on Zi Lu’s lips as he watched his foolish junior brother.
Anyway, to Xue Mudan, the opinions of outsiders didn’t matter.
He would defeat anyone who stood in his way and claim the title of True Dragon.
Nothing would change.
“I’ve disliked you from the start. Even our master calls himself a mortal.”
Cold energy emanated from the sword in his right hand, and beautiful snowflakes began to bloom.
“How dare a brat like you call yourself a genius.”
“Sigh…”
He sighed. He had felt it before.
He shouldn’t be the one to say it, but this brat was too obsessed with their master.
So, as a senior brother, he would strike first and teach him a lesson.
Dog Beating Staff Technique – Strike to the Head.
He struck his head to reprimand him.
“The greatest filial piety towards a master is to surpass him, you fool.”
“……!!”
-Clang Clang Clang-!
His swift staff technique, devoid of hesitation, clashed with the cold, ice-infused sword.
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It seemed Xiaoshao and Zi Lu weren’t exaggerating.
He was on a completely different level from the other aspiring martial artists he had fought.
“Haah… haah…”
It was a summer day, but cold breath escaped Mancheon’s lips.
Snowflake Sword Technique – A Hundred Flowers in Full Bloom.
A whirlwind of cold air erupted, and white snowflakes grazed Mancheon’s body.
Blood dripped from a cut on his forehead.
…It had been a mistake to show him the Immovable Wisdom King Stance at the inn.
After their initial clash, he had kept his distance, only sending flurries of icy blades at him.
He moved quickly, never allowing Mancheon to get close. He wasn’t giving him a chance to gather his qi and use the Immovable Wisdom King Stance.
Was he trying to wear him down and finish him off easily?
He was starting to understand why Xiaoshao had said she couldn’t win.
He was not only skilled in martial arts, but also quick to assess the situation and would resort to any means to win.
“Hoo…”
He clenched and unclenched his frozen hand, regulating his breathing.
In other words, to win, he also had to resort to any means necessary.
He focused the King’s energy into his eyes, not his legs.
Immovable Wisdom King Stance – Eye.
The world slowed down, like a paused video.
He located the positions of the falling snowflakes.
‘It’ll hurt like hell if I jump in there.’
But he had to. If he stayed like this, he would run out of energy and be defeated.
Determination paved the way to victory.
The world started moving again, and the snowflakes pierced his clothes and flesh.
Dog Beating Staff Technique – Strike the Dog Towards Heaven.
He used his staff to defend his vital points and charged forward, deflecting the falling white petals.
At the end of the flurry of blades, he struck Xue Mudan’s head, who was wide open after unleashing his technique.
-Clang!!
But… the sound was not that of a staff hitting a human body.
The feeling in his hand was also different. It was like hitting steel.
He hadn’t just been keeping his distance, he had been preparing this as well?
He was a meticulous brat.
Ice Armor.
A transparent layer of ice enveloped Xue Mudan’s body like armor.
“You’re trapped! The Young Master’s Ice Armor is invincible!!”
A martial artist from the North Sea Ice Palace shouted, sensing Mancheon’s defeat, perhaps because his all-out attack had been blocked.
Mancheon frowned at the incomprehensible words.
‘Hmm… what’s that brat talking about? Invincible?’
He exhaled and focused the dark red Wisdom King’s energy into his left fist.
Immovable Wisdom King’s Fist.
That was before you met me.
-Crash!!
The ice armor shattered like glass, scattering into pieces from his head downwards, mocking the name “invincible.”
“Gah-?!”
Red blood dripped from Xue Mudan’s forehead, a wound he had never sustained during the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.
But… he didn’t fall.
He stood firm on his two feet and quickly assessed the situation.
He converted the scattered ice armor into cold energy and focused it into his left hand.
A white storm, as cold and rough as the North Sea, prepared to unleash its fury.
“……!!”
A shiver ran down his spine.
He had seen that before. It was dangerous.
‘Damn it… you two siblings are a real pain.’
Without hesitation, he threw away Taegu-zzang in his right hand and focused his qi.
They unleashed their palm techniques at each other almost simultaneously.
Ice White Divine Palm / Frost Treading Ice Shattering Palm.
In terms of compatibility, the Frost Treading Ice Shattering Palm, which used vibrations to shatter objects and whose name literally meant “to shatter ice,” had the advantage, but…
-Crash Crash Crash Crash-!!
…Mudan had more inner energy and was more proficient in his technique. He unleashed a torrent of cold energy.
Countless snowflakes swirled around, obscuring everyone’s vision.
“W-who won…?”
The snow-filled mist cleared, revealing the result of the duel.
“?!?!?!?”
No one had won yet.
No one had lost.
Mudan uttered the name of his unyielding opponent.
“Haah… haah… Sima Mancheon…!!”
The prideful genius forced his battered body to stand.
“I’m warning you… if this is all you have…”
He glared at his opponent, feigning composure.
He taunted him with the face of a cunning wolf.
“…you’re going to lose.”
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Cheoniii show us your new technique!
